Press Release

ONE Prize: New West residents to launch three terrific projects for New West

May 10, 2015

(New Westminster, BC) May 7, 2015 — Donald’s Market and River Market are pleased to announce this year’s ONE Prize winners; a community fund created just for New West.

Thanks to all ONE members — customers who sign up and use their ONE keytag when they shop at Donald’s Market — New Westminster will get three incredible homegrown community projects this year. When ONE members shop at Donald’s Market, the grocery store contributes 1% of every dollar they spend to the community fund. This year, the fund has $6,000 in prize money. “It’s a simple and powerful idea,” says Donald’s Market general manager Eric Siu. “Alone, 1% of a grocery bill does little, but when pooled with your neighbours’ 1%, it can support local projects that contribute to the place where we all live and work.”

This year, 35 outstanding projects were submitted to ONE Prize. A jury of one River Market and one Donald’s Market staff and three New Westminster residents narrowed the projects down to ten, and over the past two weeks, ONE members voted for the winners.

This year, three projects will be awarded $2000 each. Night Bright New West, proposed by So Are We Creative, will brighten the City’s nightlife with a series of summer night market events in the downtown area. The purpose is to activate highly underutilized spaces by hosting engaging evening events for all ages. Music by the River is a program by Arts Council of New Westminster to foster local talent and to create opportunities for local musicians to perform for their friends and neighbours. Refood seeks to reduce unnecessary food wastage by connecting local vendors, organizations serving people in need, and local high school student volunteers. The prize money will help launch this new social enterprise from an idea to a reality.

“We were also thrilled to learn that a few applicants have reached out to one another to collaborate on their project,” said River Market’s ONE project lead Leslie Shieh. In particular, Arts Council of New Westminster and United Gospel Mission are going to work together on the latter’s idea to pilot an art program that combines art history, art therapy, and skills development.

“We would like to thank and congratulate all the applicants for their ideas to benefit our City’s livability,”said Shieh. “This year is ONE Prize’s fourth year and each year we have been greatly impressed by the project proposals. They demonstrate residents’ wish to contribute their time and skills to have a positive impact on where they live.”

To contribute to the ONE Prize fund, shoppers can sign up for their keytag at the Donald’s Market checkout counter at River Market. Members also benefit from ONE Perks: discounts at River Market restaurants, shops, and businesses. Get more information: http://rivermarket.ca/programs/one.

About River Market at Westminster Quay

Food and fun come together every day at River Market, where the hungry and curious gather to eat, shop, and play. First opened in 1985 as Westminster Quay Public Market, the 72,000-square-foot marketplace on the Fraser River underwent a food-led revitalization in 2008 to become a hub for community life. Today, it showcases 20 of B.C.’s best independent shops and restaurants all under one roof. Find out more at rivermarket.ca.